The present invention relates to an online game of chance and a method of playing the game. More precisely, the invention relates to a multi-player extension of an instant-type ticket game that is played online by a plurality of participants, the game having a first, individual playing phase and a second, team or group playing phase for which prizes can be awarded for each phase of play.
As in many areas of commerce, the emergence and proliferation of the Internet has revolutionized gaming, making it possible for those who cannot physically access traditional xe2x80x9cbrick and mortarxe2x80x9d type gaming facilities, e.g., Off-Track Betting or pari-mutuel offices, casinos, river boats, and the like to experience the thrill and excitement that can accompany games of chance xe2x80x9cvirtuallyxe2x80x9d, which is to say in cyber-space. Indeed, the number of U.S. patents issued in U.S. Classification 463 in the last few years lends credence to the growing popularity and need of online games of chance.
For example, patents have been issued for online gaming architecture, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,824 to Rothschild, et al. Architecture patents, such as the one to Rothschild, et al., typically disclose a networked computer system to for online gaming that couples a plurality of client, or player, computers to a plurality of server computers. Patents also have been issued for interactive game systems, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,974 to Eilat, et al. Interactive game systems, such as the one to Eilat, et al., typically enable a first player to compete against a second player on a network via a communication link. Indeed, there are even patents covering online game playing with advertising, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,920 to Spaur, et al., and patents for online gaming using integrated circuit, i.e., xe2x80x9csmartxe2x80x9d, cards for payment, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,666 to Bergeron.
In general, online games can be played individually or can be played by a plurality of players. Individual games pit the participant against xe2x80x9cthe machinexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthe housexe2x80x9d. However, the only real excitement created during play is that which accompanies winning the game. Moreover, individual games do not necessarily require a network to play, as participants can play a game on their own personal computer.
Multiple player games, on the other hand, can include (i) multiple players (but usually just two) playing the same game on the same computer; (ii) multiple players (but usually just two) playing the same game on remote computers using, e.g., modems and a telephone line; and (iii) multiple players (generally up to about 16) playing the same game on remote computers using, e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and/or the Internet. In each of these embodiments of multiple-player games, participants vie against xe2x80x9cthe machinexe2x80x9d and each other, which adds an additional layer of excitement to the gaming experience. Furthermore, depending on the playing network, the number of participants playing at one time can reach anywhere from about 16 for LAN and WAN networks to about 100 or more for Internet networks.
One example of a networked, multiple-player game is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,713 to James, et al. The James, et al. patent discloses a turn-based, multiple-player, Internet game for a large number of participants in which participants input moves in turn, i.e., sequentially. A salient feature of the James, et al. patent, however, is that participants are allowed to change moves during a turn. A problem with the James, et al. patent is that the game is time-consuming. Hence, some participants can lose interest and abort playing the game, which may leave a xe2x80x9cholexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9copen chairxe2x80x9d in the game. Furthermore, the rules of the game are quite complex.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to produce an online, multiple-layer game of chance and a method of playing the game that provide advantages not found in the prior art.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to produce an online, multiple-player game of chance and a method of playing the game that embrace an easy-to-understand format and that are relatively quick to play.
It is a further object of this invention to produce an online, multiple-player game of chance and a method of playing the game that produces an individual phase and a group phase of play, in which one or more participants can win in either or both phases.
These and further objects are obtained by an online, multiple-player game of chance and a method of playing the game, wherein the game includes a first game phase comprising a virtual scratch substrate, having a grid, which includes a plurality of playing squares arrayed in a plurality of rows, columns, and diagonals, disposed thereon; and a second game phase comprising a matrix, the matrix comprising an array of a plurality of virtual scratch substrates from the first game phase disposed thereon. Participants can win a prize during the first game phase if at least three matching game pieces, which are disposed in the playing squares of the grid, are arrayed in at least one contiguous row, column, or diagonal in the grid. Furthermore, participants can win a prize during the second game phase if a combination of game pieces, when arrayed in the matrix, matches one or more predetermined winning arrays of game pieces.
Additionally, the present invention includes a method of playing an online game of chance comprising the steps of (i) providing one or more participants with one or more virtual scratch game substrates, the substrates having a plurality of game pieces disposed in a grid thereon that are concealed from view by a virtual covering; (ii) playing a first game phase, in which participants remove the virtual coverings from the virtual scratch game substrate to reveal their individual game pieces, to determine whether their game substrate is a winning substrate; and (iii) playing a second game phase in which a plurality of virtual scratch game substrates of more than one players are combined and arrayed in a matrix, to determine whether said combination of game substrates is a winning combination of game substrates.